Small handful fresh coriandercilantro leaves, chopped
¼tspfennel seeds
¼tspcumin seeds
500vegetable oilfor frying
Water as needed for the bhaji
A bowl of water for your hands when frying
Instructions
Place the flours, salt, chilli and turmeric powders into a large mixing bowl and mix briefly, no need to sift.
Add the melted butter and lemon juice and just enough water to form a thick batter.
Now add the onions, chillies, garlic, ginger, fresh coriander leaves, fennel and cumin and mix thoroughly to get a thick mix. You might need a little more water to lighten it ever so slightly. It doesn’t want to be runny, it wants to be thick enough so that the batter clings to the onions and you can shape it into balls.
Heat the oil in a wok, balti or deep saucepan over medium high heat. TIP: Drop a tiny bit of batter in the oil. If the batter rises immediately then it’s hot enough to fry.
Place the bowl of water for your hands close to the wok. We are going to fry our bhajis in batches, how many at a time depends on the size of your wok/pan.
Line a large plate with 2-3 layers of kitchen paper for the cooked bhajis, to soak up excess oil.
Wet your hands and shape the bhajis. You could either shape them as balls or flatten them into patties, I prefer them flattened.
Drop about 5 bhajis into the hot oil.
Fry until they are a fairly uniform brown all over, about 3-4 minutes. Turn them around a little during frying to achieve uniformity.
Place the cooked bhajis on the paper lined plate and continue cooking the rest.